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Hey guys, just found this forum and have a question. I can have a good deal on a KDX250 and where i am, in Kenya, its really hard to get a decent bike for little money. So i am considering getting it despite the fact that its obviously build for dirt/track mainly whereas i will ride it probably 70%road/dirtroad and 30%offroad...my question now, do you think its suitable for that? Will any major problems come up? are there any mods i can do to prepare it for this task? Just throw in your 2cents of wisdom i'll appreciate to make up my mind if this is deal i'll regret or not....

not sure about the 250 but I have a pair of 96 200s
one sees only dirt and one is street legal and spends 90% of its time on the street

in short, these bikes are intended to ride on the trails and will be best at home there
this doesn't mean that you cant make a few changes (mostly tires and gearing) to make it do-able but it will never be as comfortable as a KLX

for starters, it is a 2 stroke bike so you will need to carry oil with you for when you fill up the tank
secondly, the 2 stroker might get too wound up on highway speeds (mine tops out 75 but looses all comfort around 55)

part of this might be "solved" by taller gearing but too tall and it wont pop wheelies in 4th anymore

also, any tire you choose will be a compromise between street and dirt though I like the kenda trakmaster




it all depends on where your heart is, do you want a bike that can go anywhere and comfort isn't on the top of your list then go for it
but if you want something that will get you to work less tired then you left home it might not be the bike for you

Thanks diymirage, thats the kinda answer i wanted to here! So your saying its possible to make it a decent dual sport. How is your street legal dx engine coping with keeping higher speeds? Think the Dx250 comes with oil pump, not sure though have to check. Will probably ride more like 40% road (small highways with as many trucks as potholes), 45% dirtroads and 15% offroad, but as long as i can do that without fearing for my life more than necessary already then am good. My heart lies with the dirtroads i would say. Offroad the thorn bushes can be annoying. By taller gearing you mean changing front/rear chain spocket ratio? Will have to check what tires are available locally, importing them is quite fuckin expensive...

yes, taller gearing means either a larger front or a smaller rear sprocket

this will lower the RPM at any speed but at the cost of acceleration
still, I try to stay away from higher speeds and specially maintained high speeds just aren't good for a 2 stroker
(not to mention the moment you let of the gas the lubrication stops but the piston keeps moving (unless you clutch it))

Okay. Is there anything else i can do to make a KDX better suited for the road? What about the jetting?
ANd about that 'lubrication stops when letting go of the gas', is it really like that? The engine will still suck in fuel and oil or not...maybe not same quantity compared to piston moves. Anyways, you can read a lot of highly conflicting opinions on that and the '2t on roads' topic in general...guess i'll just test the one i want to get on the road and see how its doing, if its doing okay i get a larger front sprocket and new tires. Hope to get some tips on the right jetting...!?

jetting shouldn't change on terrain, only elevation

Finally got to see my future bike. Well, possibly my future bike. Runs great as far as i can tell but leaking some whitish fluid from the gearbox breather/overflow i think and didnt get a good explanation for that. I am sure someone here can tell me whats going on there? Also theres a small crack in the exhaust pipe, couldnt feel any fumes getting out there but might that be a problem or become one?
Was trying to attach some pictures of the bike but cant figure out how...!?

The white stuff leaking from the gear box is caused by the water pump seal leaking and letting water into the gear box, causing a nasty mess. Common issue, but if it's at the point where it's white.....could be trouble in the long run...short run even.

The owner gave it a pressure wash, maybe water entered the breathing vent? How could i countercheck if the water pump seal is indeed leaking? And 6 riders, what do you mean by 'the point where its white' and what short term or long term problems may arise?

Krisma wrote:The owner gave it a pressure wash, maybe water entered the breathing vent? How could i countercheck if the water pump seal is indeed leaking? And 6 riders, what do you mean by 'the point where its white' and what short term or long term problems may arise?

If you look in the site glass and the "oil" is not either brownish-black or red, then the water pump seal is leaking into the oil. If the oil is WHITE, then there is absolutely no lubricating factor left in the oil. Since that oil lubes the gears and clutch, I'd take a wild guess that there would be damage to the transmission and/or bearings. That is a tough call to make w/o being there to examine the bike though.

As far as i know the bike has only be ridden in that condition when i was there to testride, so for roughly 15 or 20 minutes. Thats assuming the water is not leaking from the pump but was injected while powercleaning. Could this 20min ride damage clutch/gears already?

Krisma wrote:As far as i know the bike has only be ridden in that condition when i was there to testride, so for roughly 15 or 20 minutes. Thats assuming the water is not leaking from the pump but was injected while powercleaning. Could this 20min ride damage clutch/gears already?

I doubt it...but are you sure that it's only been ridden 20 minutes.....do a test, take some oil, mix it with water, throw it in a blender and on a low setting...see how long it takes to turn the oil white.....and it staying white, not just "frothing". I had a water pump seal go on me and I rode it a couple times (trans fluid, not oil) before the discoloration was "gross" and had me really worried. It never turned "white" though. I also wouldn't buy the "injected with a pressure washer" deal....I'd call Bull squat on that in a hurry....unless they where trying to clean out the hose.

I'm not saying that the thing is trashed, just giving you a heads up.

Hey thanks for the heads up, good to know for sure. I believe the guy whos selling the bike, know him for a while already, but its possible his workers took it out for a ride when he wasnt around. So how do i assess the damage properly? Guess it will involve quite some work...? Could be even an advantage in the good old bargaining game, assuming theres no damage caused yet....

If the price is right, and the thing goes through gears w/o any weird noises, a clutch pack may be the worst damage to it. Water pump seals are easy enough to replace and not to expensive. You can always ask to take the inner clutch cover off and inspect that side of the motor. The gears in KDXs are pretty tough and if there is no gear "whine" it should be just fine.
Another thought is to drain the oil and if is all white, then you have a huge bargaining tool.